Shear Stability

Shear Stability is described as the property of a pigment flake to retain structure, colour, brightness and flop when exposed to a high shear situation.

When pigments are exposed to high shear forces, such as in paint recirculation systems, they can experience physical damage to the flake perimeter, and in worst cases fractures the flake, which results in an appearance change usually observed as a change in colour, brightness and flop.

Shear stability is a concern in the Automotive and Coil Coatings Industries, and markets where paint is exposed to high shear.